Page 9 of Christmas for Keeps

He came up beside me. “Thanks again. This is the great room.”

The space was open, going all the way to the top of the house. A giant stone fireplace was on the outside wall, with tall windows on either side, and against the far wall, a staircase led to the second floor.

“This house is gorgeous, and the furniture is perfect.” Brown leather upholstery and oak tables gave the room a homey feel. Areas of wood paneling contrasted with log walls, and the vaulted ceiling with exposed beams looked like a work of art.

His smile eased into a proud grin. “I love it here.”

“Did you have it built? You’ve always had such great taste.”

“No, but I lucked out. Someone had already started building it, but something happened, and they wanted out. I got it for a good price. The exterior was finished, but I was able to make some changes to the inside.” He steepled his hands like he was praying. “Thank you, Grandpa, for remembering me in your will.”

Dropping his hands, he met my eyes, and I stepped forward to pull him into a hug. When he wrapped his beefy arms around me and pulled me close, it was like the old days. His hard body was so familiar, and his smell was the same—warm skin, sandalwood cologne, and a hint of clean sweat. I leaned toward him, and our lips were almost touching before I caught myself and drew away. Kissing Zach would be a terrible mistake. “Thank you for having me here. It’s such a nice thing to do.”

Zach’s chest rose and fell quickly as his eyes darkened with disappointment. “I’ll bet you’re as hungry as I am, so I’ll make dinner. Why don’t you sit down and relax? You must be tired after driving all day.”

I liked being close to him, so I shook my head. “I’m tired of sitting. Can I help you?”

“Sure. I cook by myself all the time, so it’ll be good to have company.”

“Can you give me a minute? I’m wet, and I’d like to change clothes and wash up. Where’s my room?”

“Follow me.” He led us to a door beside the staircase, and we stepped into a cozy bedroom. An oak platform bed with a fabric-covered headboard was against one wall, and pictures and other small belongings were scattered on top of an oak dresser. A matching chest of drawers was against another wall, with a chair and reading lamp beside it. A door next to the dresser led into a bathroom.

“Is this your room?” I asked.

“It is.”

I barely suppressed a sigh. “It’s lovely, but… where am I sleeping? I want to get changed and… Is my room upstairs?”

He shook his head. “It’s my studio up there, and there’s no place to lie down. Nothing but my painting things and a couple of hard-backed chairs.”

My stomach fluttered, and I chewed my lips while I struggled to understand. “You want me to sleep in here with you? Maybe you got the wrong idea about me staying here.”

“What are you talking about?” He scrunched his eyebrows together, then raised them as recognition dawned. “No, I didn’t. Really. There’s no other bedroom. You’re my guest, so I’m putting you in here. I’ll sleep on the couch, which is very comfortable. I fall asleep there a lot and don’t even come in here. This is the only full bathroom though…” He took a quick breath. “I mean, there’s a half one upstairs, but I’ll need to shower here.” Scrambling again, he huffed another breath. “I mean… we’ll share it.” His face flushed red, and he blurted out, “At different times.”

My neck tingled as memories rushed back.God, the showers we used to take. I still jerk off remembering those showers.“I knew what you meant. Sorry I sounded like an ass, but I can’t take your room.”

Following a friendly argument, we agreed to use the bedroom as a common changing area. Zach insisted I sleep in his bed while he took the couch, and he wouldn’t change his mind no matter what I said. Saying he’d build a fire, he left me to use the bathroom and change clothes.

After I washed my face and changed into fresh jeans and a sweater, I stared at the bed, imagining what it would be like to share it with Zach. Sleeping with him would be amazing, but that couldn’t happen. Impulsively, I reached for a pillow and held it close to my face. When I inhaled, a surge of nostalgia had my eyes teary. Maybe we could talk at last and make things right.

I made a terrible mistake, letting things die.

You weren’t the only one. He had a phone too.

If we’d kissed earlier, there’s no telling what might have happened. He was an ex, and I wouldn’t have been human if I didn’t still have feelings for him. It was being tired from the day and shocked by seeing him again that had me wondering exactly what those feelings were. Still, I wasn’t into short-term hookups, and having sex with an old boyfriend would be foolish in so many ways.

Needing strength, I took out my phone.

CONNOR: Wanted to let you know I was late getting to the resort, and they’d given away our room. Long story but I ran into Zach, my old boyfriend from college. I’m staying with him.

She answered almost immediately.

ABBY: I’m so relieved to hear from you. I’d decided to give it 30 more min before calling. Are you ok?

CONNOR: Fine. Shocked to see Zach but glad to be somewhere safe and warm.

It was better to leave out the accident for now because I didn’t want her worrying about my car.

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